Smoke ventilation system for £75million Alto development

Project title: Alto

Location: Wembley, London

Client: Wates Group

Service: Smoke Control

Project Background

Alto is a high-rise residential apartment development and is the second phase of Quintain’s exciting transformation of Wembley Park, London. The finished area will incorporate shops, landscaped public space, entertainment, bars and restaurants.

Due for completion in summer 2017, the £75million Alto development is made up of four towers – the tallest being 19 storeys – which are set around a water garden and there will be 362 one, two and three-bedroom apartments in total. Residents will enjoy amenities including a private gym and spa.

Site plan © Alto Apartments

The Project

The Client

Group SCS was appointed by Wates Group in early 2016 to design, supply, install and commission the smoke ventilation systems for phase NW06 (four blocks – A, B, C and D) complete with daily corridor ventilation plus a UniJet ventilation system for the basement-level car park.

Our Involvement

We designed smoke ventilation systems to protect the communal corridors and stairwells for means of escape and firefighting. This was achieved by using our UniForce mechanical extract with natural inlet. The majority of the products we used at Alto were supplied by our sales arm Easivent and Fläkt Woods.

Our solution

Within the basement-level car park we are using our UniJet ventilation system. This system is designed to provide smoke clearance and pollution ventilation to covered car parks, to comply with current building regulations and meet the standards set out in BS7346 Part 7 (2006), specifically ‘impulse ventilation to achieve smoke clearance’.

The UniJet system uses jet fans to provide an energy efficient and safe solution while requiring the least possible plant space. We opted for Fläkt Woods jet fans strategically positioned to move polluted air or smoke to the extract fan position.

Fully automated controls monitor carbon monoxide levels and smoke if present to operate fans at the appropriate level to maintain safe and comfortable conditions within the car park.

Richard Bottle, Project Manager, said: “I had my first Alto meeting just one week after starting at Group SCS in early 2016 and I have to say it’s been a brilliant project to work on.

“This project is a ‘fast-track’ project, but Wates’ team are always finding time to think outside the box to come up with new and efficient initiatives to ensure the strict deadlines are met. They also develop initiatives to create a better environment for people working on the site.

“I really enjoy working with the Wates team – they are very proactive, professional and helpful. They’ve achieved all deadlines and there has been much off-site manufacturing which has helped to save time. Alto is always a clean and tidy site with very high standards, I’ve been very impressed.”